Power tool bench with adjustable motor position



N. H- FRANKS May 1, 1956 POWER TOOL BENCH WITH ADJUSTABLE MOTOR POSITION Filed March 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

ATTORNEYS.

N. H. FRANKS May 1, 1956 POWER TOOL BENCH WITH ADJUSTABLE MOTOR POSITION Filed March 29; 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent PQWER TUUL BENCH WlTH ADJUSTABLE MDTOR POSITIGN Nor-Vin H. Franlrs, Chicago, 111., assignor to Starch-litre Steel Products, lac, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,151

3 Claims. (Cl.144--1) This invention relates to power tool benches and more particularly to benches for supporting various types of power tools. Power tools of the type commonly used in home workshops and various industries are usually supported on individual benches and are individually driven by electric motors. It is desirable on many occasions to mount several tools on a single bench for economy or" space and for convenience of performing related operations. In such installations, it is highly desirable to use the same driving motor to drive all of the tools thereby to save initial cost and to simplify the wiring and controls.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a power tool bench which supports a plurality of tools and in which a single motor is so mounted that its driving connections can be easily and quickly changed from one tool to another.

Another object is to provide a power tool bench in which a motor is mounted to slide easily along one side of the bench into selective registry with different tools on the bench to be drivably connected with the tools individually through easily detachable driving means.

According to one feature of the invention, the motor is pivotally carried on a slide which is mounted for sliding movement on one side rail of the bench and carries a drive pulley to receive a belt through which the motor is connected to driven pulleys on the tools.

According to another feature, the slide engages an upper side rail on the bench and has a vertical extension thereon slidably engaging the side member below the rail so that tilting of the slide, which might result in binding, is prevented.

A further object is to provide a power tool bench in which the tools are supported by bars connected to the side rails and spaced from the upper parts thereof so that the bars will not interfere with movements of the slide.

A still further object is to provide a power tool bench in which the tool supporting bars are clamped to flanges on the side rails of the bench by a simple lever clamp which is easily and quickly operated and which securely holds the bars in position.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which serve merely to illustrate the invention. In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view from the front side of a power tool bench embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the bench from the rear side;

Figure 3 is an enlarged partial section through the slide and extension;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the slide;

Figure 5 is a partial section through a side rail showing the tool supporting bar and clamp in end elevation;

Figure 6 is a transverse section on the line 6-4? of Figure 5; and

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of clamp parts.

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The bench, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, is adapted to support a plurality of tools in side-by-side relationship as, for example, a double saw indicated generally at 11. Each of the tools includes a power driven part adapted to be driven through a pulley, as indicated at 12, and the tools are so mounted that the pulley shafts extend lengthwise of the bench parallel to each other.

The bench itself includes vertical legs 13 preferably formed of sheet metal and connected to an upper framework including end rails 14 and elongated side rails 15'. The lower frame is secured to the legs beneath the upper frame and includes end members 16 beneath and parallel to the end rails 14 and side members 1'? beneath and parallel to the side rails 15. The upper and lower frames may be secured to the legs in a rigid assembly, as more particularly described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 395,172.

As best seen in Figure 3, the members forming the upper and lower frames are of sheet metal with vertical web portions 18 having short inwardly extending flanges 19 at their upper edges. At their lower edges longer inwardly extending horizontal flanges 21 are terminated in downwardly extending short flanges 22. This con struction provides an extremely strong and safe element adapted to carry maximum load with a minimum amount of metal and further facilitates mounting of the tool carrying bars and slide, as hereinafter described.

The power tools on the bench are adapted to be selectively driven by a single electric motor 23 which, accord ing to the present invention, can be moved along the bench into selective registration with the tools. The motor carries a driving pulley 24 which may be connected through a belt 25 with the pulleys on the tools thereby to drive the tools.

The motor is carried by a mounting plate 26 which is pivoted on a cross rod 27 carried by a bracket 28. The bracket 28 is secured to the upper end of a slide indicated generally at 29 and which may be constructed as best seen in Figure 3. As there shown, the slide is formed by a Z-shaped plate having a vertical web 31 to lie slidably against the outside of the web 18 of one of the side rails 15 and having a short flange 32 extending partialiy beneath the flange 21 of the side rail. At its upper end the plate is formed with an outwardly projecting horizontal flange 33. The slide is completed by a U-section plate having a web 34 underlying the bracket 23 and secured to the bracket and to the flange 33 by fasteniugs, such as bolts 35. At its inner edge the U-shaped plate is formed with a short downwardly extending flange projecting over the edge of the upper flange 19 of the side rail to hold the slide against movement outward from the side rail. At its outer side, the U-shaped plate is formed with a depending flange 37 to which there is secured by suitable fastenings, such as the bolts shown, a channel shaped extension 33 extending downward with its lower end overlying the web of the side member 17.

The vertical extension 33 carires an offset bracket 39' having a short depending flange thereon to fit over the upper flange 19 of the side member 17.

With this construction, the slide and its extension may be moved freely along the side rail 15 to bring the driving pulley 24 of the motor into registry with the driven pulley ll of either power tool. When the belt 25 is placed over the pulleys operation of the motor will drive the selected power tool and the tendency of the motor to swing outward about the pivot 27 will maintain the belt underproper driving tension. Since the slide is supported at its upper end on the side rail 15 and is slidably braced at its lower end on the side 17, tilting thereof, which might result in binding, is prevented and the slide can be moved freely at all times.

The tools are adapted to be supported on the bench on tool supporting bars indicated generally at 41. As best seen in Figures 5 and 6, the tool supporting bars are formed by U-shaped strips 42 secured in back-to-back relationship and spaced slightly from each other. The spacing between the strips 42 enables mounting bolts in the tools to be slipped therebetween and to be secured by nuts beneath the strips. The supporting bars are of a length to span the side rails 15 with their end portions resting on the flanges 21, as shown in Figure 6, and with their ends at least at the upper portion spaced from the upper flanges 19 of the side rails so that the flanges 36 can pass between the flanges 19 and the ends of the supporting bars. With the bars so mounted, the slide can be moved freely along the bench without interfering with the supporting bars and without requiring the release of any fastenings. To secure the supporting bars in position, clamp means are provided which are formed of C-shaped frames 43 pivoted at their upper ends between the strips 42 on pins 44 and with their lower ends underlying the bottom flanges 21 of the side rails. The C-shaped frames, as shown in Figure 7, may be formed of sheet metal cut out to proper shape and folded centrally to form a double frame. At their lower ends, the frames 43 carry levers 45 pivoted on horizontal pins 46. The upper ends of the levers 45 preferably carry rollers 47 to engage the undersides of the flanges 21, as shown. The bars 41 at their end portions carry resilient pads which may be of rubber or a resilient plastic material, as shown at 48, and which are preferably shaped, as seen in Figure 8, to slip over the ends of the bars. The pads lie between the ends of the bars and the flanges 21 to provide improved gripping action and to yield slightly when the levers 45 are operated.

To release the clamps, the lower ends of the levers 45 are swung inward toward the center of the bench so that their outer ends will swing outward on the flanges 21 and will move away from the flanges 21. At this time, the C-frames 43 can be swung counterclockwise, as seen in Figure 6, to move the upper ends of the levers completely away from the flanges so that the bars can be lifted from the bench, if desired. With the ends of the bars resting on the flanges 21 and properly positioned to receive a desired power tool, the C-frames may be swung clockwise to the position of Figure 6 and the lower ends of the levers 45 may be swung outward. This action will cause the rollers 47 to move inward over the flanges 21 and to draw the bars downward against the upper surfaces of the flanges 21. The levers are moved to the final position shown in Figure 6 in which the rollers 47 engage the downwardly projecting flanges 42 to limit further swinging of the levers to a slight over center position in which they will be retained by the pressure of the levers against the flanges 21. This over center movement is facilitated by use of the resilient pads 48 which will yield slightly to permit the levers to be swung past their center positions. With the levers in the position shown in Figure 6, the tool supporting bar will be securely clamped to the side rails with their ends spaced slightly from the upper flanges 19 of the side rails for passage of the flanges 36 therebetween.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that this is illustrative only and is not to be taken as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a power tool bench including side rails having vertically extending webs and inwardly extending bottom flanges, tool supporting bars extending between the side rails and resting on the flanges with their ends spaced from the webs, clamps to secure the end portions of the bars to the flanges, the bars being adapted to support a plurality of power tools in side-by-side relationship, a motor mounting comprising a slide mounted on one of the side rails for sliding movement therealong and having a flange hooked over the top of the web to pass between the web and the ends of the bars, a motor carried by the slide, and detachable driving means to connect the motor selectively to power tools on the bars.

2. in a power tool bench including side rails having verticaily extending webs and inwardly extending bottom flanges, tool supporting bars extending between the side rails and resting on the flanges with their ends spaced from the webs, clamps to secure the end portions of the bars to the flanges, the bars being adapted to support a plurality of power tools in side-by-side relationship, a motor mounting comprising a slide mounted on one of the side rails for sliding movement therealong and having a flange hooked over the top of the web to pass between the web and the ends of the bars, a side member beneath and parallel to the side rail, a vertical extension on the slide slidably engaging the side member to prevent tilting of the slide, a motor mount pivoted on the slide on a horizontal axis, a motor carried by the mount, pulleys on the motor and on power tools carried by the bars, and a belt to connect the motor pulley selectively to the power tool pulleys.

3. The construction of claim 1 in which the clamps comprise resilient pads between the end portions of the bars and the flanges, levers carried by the bars pivoted on horizontal axes beneath the flanges and engageable at their upper ends with the flanges to draw the end portions of the bars down against the resilient pads and the flanges and stop means adjacent to the upper ends of the levers to engage the levers and limit pivoting thereof in one direction to a position adjacent to but overcenter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,982,254 Iuengling Nov. 27, 1934 2,016,528 Wilson Oct. 8, 1935 2,071,201 Frech Feb. 16, 1937 2,080,475 Hedgpeth May 18, 1937 2,490,923 Sasgen Dec. 13, 1949 2,599,170 Franks June 3, 1952 2,619,135 Callaway Nov. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 474,393 Germany Apr. 6, 1929 

